Container moving mechanism



May 26, 1970 R. H. SHEPPARD CONTAINER MOVING MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 29, 1968 V5. 7'02. H. Suspacwo RICA/QED May 26, 1970 R. H. SHEPPARD CONTAINER MOVING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 29, 1968 KEEN" $2 33 a: k 8 w m I BF :3 m5 M E :1 8:; E :i Q

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3 Ta 5 N N Q L, ms m Z 3,513,967 CONTAINER MOVING MECHANISM Richard H. Sheppard, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Califi, as-

signor to Purex Corporation, Ltd., Lakewood, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Jan. 29, 1968, Ser. No. 701,373 Int. Cl. B65g 25/08 US. Cl. 198221 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates primarily to equipment for advancing a succession of containers to and from a series of stations at which the container contents are to be treated, the container advancement being intermittent in accordance with the station residence time required for such treatment.

While applicable to various uses, the present advancement mechanism has been used for the intermittent movement of mechanical parts containers to a succession of treatment tanks within which the containers are lowered for immersion of the parts in metal treating solutions.

Structurally the invention has for its general object to provide a single shaft mounting for a series of pusher arms spaced to receive the containers between them, the shaft being axially reciprocable Within the range of the container advancement and being rotatable to swing the arms into and out of container engaging and pushing positions. Preferably the shaft rotation is limited to an oscillation range allowing for container engagement and clearance.

More particularly the invention provides for mounting of the shaft in overlying relation to the container series, and connecting the shaft with a reversely driven screw which reciprocates the shaft. The latter is given its oscillatory movement by cam means acting to swing down the pusher arms for advancement of the shaft and containers, and to elevate and clear the pushers from the containers for retraction of the shaft to a successive starting advancement position.

The various features and objects of the invention as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment will be understood from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment shown by the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view showing the container advancing mechanism and treatment tank assembly in side elevation;

FIG. 2 is a right end elevation of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan section taken on line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on line 4-4' of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlargement of the cam structure appearing in FIG. 3;

United States Patent 0 3,513,967 Patented May 26, 1970 ice FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 wherein the shaft is reciprocated to a starting position;

FIG. 7 is a section taken through one of the screw jacks of line 77 of FIGS. 1 and 3, the jack being elevated;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing the jack lowered;

FIG. 9 is a section taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged section on line 1010 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary section on line 1111 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged showing of the cam gate as viewed from line 1212 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 13 is a section on line 1313 of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In reference to the drawings, the equipment in its entirity has a frame structure, various components of which are indicated by the numeral 10. In general, the equipment comprises a station 11 from which materials or objects such as machine parts to be solution treated may be loaded into containers indicated by the broken lines 12, the containers being of any suitable open or basketlike form to allow access of the treating solutions to the container contents. The containers areadvanced in spaced relation along the frame table 10a and upon rollers 13 to a succession of stations 14 represented by solution tanks 15, the containers being advanced intermittently to the positions illustrated in FIG. 1 for lowering into and elevation out of the tanks. Following immersion treatment of the parts the containers are successively advanced to a removal position at 16 on the table extension 10b. Above and at the sides of the tanks the structure has an open end housing 17 with openings 18 permitting access to and inspection of the containers and their contents. Associated with the tanks 15 may be agitators, not shown, for imparting to the tank solutions turbulences desirable for surface treatment of the container contents.

In particular reference to FIG. 4, each tank 15 alternately receives and underlies a carrier 19 for an individual container 12, the carrier being shown to comprise a suitable base structure 20 carrying rollers 21 on which the container rests between guides 22. The base 20 is suspended by hangers or stirrups 23 from parallel beams 24 which mount the carriers 19, shown typically with the tanks to be four in number.

The carrier and beam assemblies are lowered and raised for immersion of the containers 12 in tank treating solutions 25 by four jack screws 26, see FIGS. 7 and 8, at the corners of the tanks and housing 17, the screws bearing upwardly against the ends of the beams 24 and being receivable downwardly within housings 27. The upper exposed extents of the screws may be enclosed within collapsible bellows-like sleeves 28 appearing in FIGS. 1 and 2 but omitted in FIGS. 7 and 8 for clarity. Each screw extends through a housing 30 and bearings 31 and also in threaded engagement with a gear 32 driven by worm 33 carried on shaft 34. A pair of these shafts 34 extend through bearings 35 along the out-sides of the tanks 15 as shown in FIG. 1, and from one pair of the housings 30a the ends of the shafts have gear connections at 36 with a cross shaft 37 driven by reversible motor 38. To the shaft drive may be suitably applied a brake 39.

Driven by motor 38 by way of shafts 37, 34 and gears 32, the jack screws 26 together with beams 24 and the suspended carriers 19 may be raised and lowered between the FIG. 7 and 8 positions. As will be understood, in elevated positions the carriers 19 bring rollers 21 into horizontal alinement with the table extents 10a, 10b and with the rollers 13 to permit smooth advancement of the containers through their travel.

The container advancing mechanism generally indicated at 38, comprises a tubular shaft 39 slidably journaled for rotation in bearings 40, the shaft carrying fixed pusher arms 41 having terminals 42 spaced to receive the containers 12 between them so that each pusher is positioned to bear against the rear side of a container as illustrated in FIG. 1. In reference to FIGS. 3 and 11, the frame structure mounts at 43 a housing 44 through which extends screw 45 which is connected by coupling 451 to the end of shaft 39, the opposite extent of the screw being received within a tubular sheath 46. The screw 45 is journaled in bearing 46 and is in threaded engagement with gear 47, the bearing and gear being supported by bearings 48 and 49. Gear 47 is driven by worm 49 on shaft 50 driven through reduction gear 51, see FIG. 3, by reversible motor 52, the extended motor shaft having a brake 53. The motor drive operating in one direction through the worm 49 and gear 47 advances the screw 45 and shaft 39 in one direction, and reversely when the drive is reversed. Thus in what may be regarded as its FIG. 1 starting position, the motor drive is actuated to shift the shaft and pushers 41 a distance corresponding to the spacing of the carriers 12 so that during each shift the containers 'are advanced successively to and from the stations 14.

In order for the pushers to clear the containers for retraction of the shaft to its starting position, the shaft is oscillated in response to its axial movement by the cam mechanism illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6. This mechanism is shown to comprise a roller 55 carried by the coupling 451 and moveable within a way 56 defined between an-gularly parallel plates 57, 58 and 59, 60, also between parallel plates 61, 62 and 63, 64, the last mentioned plates being supported by brackets 65. Upon clockwise rotation of shaft 39 as viewed in FIG. 9, roller 55 travels along the cam plate 57, rotating the shaft 39 to swing the pushers upwardly so that they clear the containers 12 throughout retractive travel of the shaft during which the roller travels the way branch 56a into the angular branch 56b. Reverse rotation of screw 45 and axial retraction of the shaft 39 moves the roller 55 along cam plate 60 to thus swing the pusher arms down to container-engaging positions where the pushers remain throughout return travel of the roller through the cam branc'h 560 back to the starting position of FIG. 5. Gate plates 66, see FIG. 12, hinged by" pins 67 are provided at the locations shown in FIG. so that the gates deflect upwardly to pass the follower 55 but thereafter swing down to block its reverse travel.

'As will be understood from the foregoing, after each advancement of the container series, the stationed carriers and their contents are lowered by simultaneous actuation of the jack screws 26 to immerse the container parts within the solutions 25 for such time as may be required for the parts treatment. While the carriers are thus lowered, shaft 39 may be oscillated and returned to its starting position for the next successive engagement of pushers 41 with the containers. Then upon elevation of 4 the carriers from the treating solutions, the carriers are alined for the next incremental advancement.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for advancing a succession of containers intermittently to and from predetermined stations along a path, said apparatus comprising a shaft mounted for axial reciprocation and rotation about its axis, a series of pushers carried by the shaft and spaced to accommodate the containers between them, first means for reciprocating the shaft axially to advance the containers engaged by the pushers and to retract the shaft for successive container advancement, and second means for rotating the shaft to move the pushers into and away from container engaging positions respectively during advancement and retraction of the shaft including cam means adjacent the shaft and a cam follower carried by the shaft to engage the cam means, said shaft 'being axially movable relative to the cam means to travel the cam follower along the cam means.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said pushers are arms projecting from the shaft and alined longitudinally thereof.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said first means comprises a reversely rotatable screw engaged with the shaft.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, in which the shaft is tubular and said screw extends into and out of the shaft.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said second means comprises means acting to oscillate the shaft within its range of reciprocation.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, in which said cam means is stationarily positioned.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said first means is a reversely rotatable screw connected to the shaft and said second means comprises cam means acting to oscillate the shaft.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which said shaft parallels and is mounted above the path of advancement of the containers and said pushers are swung downwardly References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,987,201 6/1961 Abbey 19819 3,140,776 7/ 19 64 Craver l98221 3,146,879 9/1964 Montagino 198-221 RICHARD E. AEGERTER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. l3465 

